TRIFILETTI CONSULTING, INC.http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com
Trifiletti Consulting, Inc. provides strategic counsel to leaders in public agencies and elected officials, private sector developers, infrastructure designers, business associations and civic organisations.Fri, 07 Sep 2018 11:36:33 +0000enhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.3Los Angeles International Airport to Get a Game-Changing $5 Billion Upgradehttp://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/los-angeles-international-airport-to-get-a-game-changing-5-billion-upgrade/
http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/los-angeles-international-airport-to-get-a-game-changing-5-billion-upgrade/#respondTue, 08 Aug 2017 08:58:18 +0000http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/?p=398It’s not easy being an American airport these days. We may be the world’s top economy, but the world views our airports as substandard, with antiquated facilities, poor design and inconvenient connections among terminals and to their cities. Not one U.S. airport cracked the top 25 in the 2015 Skytrax survey of the world’s best airports.

Los Angeles International Airport has compared badly even among U.S. airports. Although LAX is the nation’s second-busiest airport and the world’s fifth-busiest, Skytrax ranks it a dismal 98th out of the top 100, right between Malta and Raleigh-Durham.

She made those remarks at the kickoff of what could be a game-changing solution: a $5 billion infrastructure plan with the ungainly name Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP). LAMP’s centerpieces are a two-mile (3.2 kilometer) long automated people mover connecting the terminals with a consolidated rental car center to replace dozens of car-rental lots, transit centers and connections to rail lines, which are also currently under construction.

Anyone who’s traveled in L.A. in the last few years knows what a big deal this is. Everything here these days seems to boil down to curbing the ever-worsening traffic: more public transit, bike lanes, denser housing near Metro stops and more.

Now consider that all access into LAX is by road. Bottlenecks of buses, cars and shuttle vans for hotels, parking garages and rental car companies are commonplace at its 8 busy terminals. Officials estimate that the shuttle vans alone account for 40 percent of the traffic into the airport.

Future rental car customers will be able to take the people mover to the rental car center, while other travelers will be able to meet other shuttles and transit at two (again ungainly named) Intermodal Transit Centers.

Flint said that the goal is to complete LAMP in rapid succession, “in no case later than 2023.” “How is that rapid?” you ask? Consider the complexity of building the people mover above and around current facilities, and getting buy-in from neighborhoods and other constituencies.

Overview of the Landside Access Modernization Program: the people mover will connect the airport with two Intermodal Transit Centers, rental car center and a newly built rail line into the city. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

As if the airport’s condition alone wasn’t reason enough to move quickly, the 2023 date is important because L.A. is America’s choice to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, and the city has to spiff up. LAX’s last major overhaul was just before the last time the city hosted the Olympics, in 1984.

At a forum for prospective bidders to build and operate these various facilities, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council members appeared to show a unified front and emphasize the importance of this project to the city, particularly that processes would be streamlined for quick completion.

All of this is happening amidst ever-increasing passenger numbers. In 2015, LAX saw a record 74.9 million passengers, up 6% from 2014. Officials expect that to increase to 95 million in the next two decades.

]]>http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/los-angeles-international-airport-to-get-a-game-changing-5-billion-upgrade/feed/0$40-million stormwater project targets polluted runoff at LAXhttp://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/40-million-stormwater-project-targets-polluted-runoff-at-lax/
http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/40-million-stormwater-project-targets-polluted-runoff-at-lax/#respondSat, 17 Jun 2017 06:43:19 +0000http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/?p=318Millions of gallons of polluted stormwater runoff from Los Angeles International Airport will be treated and cleaned before washing into the Pacific Ocean or working its way into L.A.’s groundwater basin, according to an agreement signed Thursday by city and airport officials.

After five years of delays, the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports approved a memorandum of understanding that allows them to move ahead on a $40-million stormwater treatment project.

“We can no longer afford to let stormwater run off as pollution into our ocean,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. “We must clean it, we must capture it and we must put it to good use.”

Currently, stormwater that falls on LAX carries spilled fuels, oils, degreasers, metal particles and other compounds into Santa Monica Bay via drainage ditches — a violation of state and federal clean water standards.

The project will address this pollution in two ways:

One portion of the runoff will be funneled to the city’s Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant, which is located near the southwest corner of LAX. It will then be treated and released into Santa Monica Bay.

The rest of the runoff will be channeled to an underground capture facility, and then pumped into so-called infiltration galleries where the water will work its way into the groundwater basin.

The ground and soil will act as a natural filtration system, after trash and debris have been removed, officials say.

“This agreement provides LAWA with a cost-effective approach to complying with all the requirements associated with the Clean Water Act,” LAWA Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey said.

Thursday’s agreement begins the design process; construction is slated to begin in the spring of 2017, officials said. The project should be completed in 2019.

About three-quarters of the expense will be covered by Proposition O, the clean water bond that Los Angeles voters approved in 2004.

“This project is critical for reducing stormwater pollution of Santa Monica Bay,” said Mark Gold, acting director of the UCLA Institute of Environment and Sustainability. “This is a great example of how Proposition O has improved water quality in the city’s rivers, lakes and coastal waters.”

The underground capture facility, the Argo Drain Sub-Basin, will accommodate a watershed area of about 2,400 acres. The capture facility will be built underground at the northwest edge of LAX, near the intersection of Westchester Parkway and Falmouth Avenue.

Construction will require the excavation of a five-acre vacant lot, which will later be converted into a park.

As Californians struggle through severe drought and mandated reductions in urban water use, officials have looked for ways to conserve and re-use water.

Under the approved water treatment plan, about 100 million gallons of water a year will be fed back into the groundwater basin, officials say.

However, environmental advocates note that the city treats millions of gallons of water each day that are ultimately discharged into the sea.

According to Heal the Bay, which supported Thursday’s agreement, the Hyperion plant pumps more than 250 million gallons of wastewater into Santa Monica Bay each day.

Advocates say that if such water were treated to a higher standard and recycled, it would substantially reduce the region’s reliance on imported water.

]]>http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/40-million-stormwater-project-targets-polluted-runoff-at-lax/feed/0LAX to build facility to clean up stormwaterhttp://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/lax-to-build-facility-to-clean-up-stormwater/
http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/lax-to-build-facility-to-clean-up-stormwater/#respondSat, 17 Jun 2017 06:38:27 +0000http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/?p=316LOS ANGELES — Mayor Eric Garcetti signed an agreement May 7 authorizing construction of a $40 million facility aimed at cleaning up polluted stormwater runoff from Los Angeles International Airport before it flows into the Santa Monica Bay.

The underground facility will put 100 million gallons of the water into the groundwater basin each year in an attempt to replenish the water supply.

The five-acre open field where it is to be located will become park space.

About $30 million of the project’s cost will be covered by bond proceeds from the voter-approved Proposition O to pay for water clean-up projects.

Runoff from LAX now flows untreated into the ocean down an open ditch.

The project includes building a facility that diverts the runoff by gravity into a retention basin, where it will be pumped into underground infiltration galleries to put water into the groundwater basin. The agreement also includes a connection that will bring the runoff to the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant, which treats sewage.

“We must re-imagine our relationship with water,” Garcetti said at the project site near LAX where he signed the agreement. “We must be responsible with how we treat it, across its entire cycle. We can no longer afford to let stormwater run off as pollution into our ocean. We must clean it, we must capture it, and we must put it to good use.”

The agreement, which was also signed by airport and city sanitation officials, lays out the funding and work assignments for the project.

The project is “a cost-effective approach to complying with all the requirements associated with the Clean Water Act, while benefiting LAX and our neighboring communities,” said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airport, which operates the LAX and other city-owned airports.

]]>http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/lax-to-build-facility-to-clean-up-stormwater/feed/0LAWA CITED FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH EFFORTS ON LAX NORTHSIDE PROJECThttp://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/lawa-cited-for-community-outreach-efforts-on-lax-northside-project/
http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/lawa-cited-for-community-outreach-efforts-on-lax-northside-project/#respondSat, 17 Jun 2017 06:35:58 +0000http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/?p=312(Los Angeles, California – April 3, 2015) The Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP) has recognized Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) for its outstanding community outreach efforts and engagement with the public as part of its Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Northside Project.

The project was one of just 10 throughout California to earn the 2015 Outstanding Award recognition and the only one in the category of Public Involvement. LAWA and other honorees were recognized at an AEP event in late March in Santa Barbara.

Throughout the entitlement process, which began in late 2011, LAWA sought input from neighbors, business leaders, and other stakeholders, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to create a plan that works for the airport and meets the needs of neighbors and the region.

The LAX Northside Plan Update includes the proposed LAX Northside Design Guidelines and Standards that reflect new land uses, community input, current best-practices in design and sustainability, and clear zoning restrictions and development standards. The LAX Northside Plan Update seeks to create a realistic framework for future development that reflects the needs of the community and LAWA, and benefits both. The uses proposed in the plan are designed to encompass community needs and desires, as well as the airport’s operational requirements. The LAX Northside Plan Update would create a vibrant, sustainable center of employment, retail, restaurant office, hotel, research and development, civic, airport support, recreation and buffer uses.

“We recognized from the beginning that a project like this needed a high level of community involvement and input to be successful,” said Lisa Trifiletti, Environmental and Land Use Planning Division manager. “Not only did we conduct all of the required community outreach, we also went door to door. We met with people in their living rooms – two, three, four times. We really listened to what they had to say and incorporated that feedback into a plan that we believe everyone can be proud of.”

The land was originally acquired by LAX more than 30 years ago to create a buffer between the airport and adjacent residential communities comprised of commercial development planning for the reuse of the LAX Northside began in the 1980s, and in 1984 more than 4.5 million square feet of commercial development was approved. Development is currently governed by the LAX Plan and Specific Plan, which incorporates the 1980s development scheme. It includes tall buildings, minimal open space, limited landscape buffer zones, and outdated design and environmental standards. Today, the approach for the proposed Plan Update reflects community interests, and represents the participation of numerous stakeholders.

The proposed Plan Update, if approved, would reduce development by nearly one-half of the Prior Approved Development to 2.3 million square feet. It would also include substantial open space, recreational uses, community and civic uses, as well as current design standards, sustainability commitments, pedestrian-friendly amenities, and transit integration. These are benefits which are absent in the existing entitlements.

To be considered for an AEP Outstanding Award, the nominated public-involvement or education program should meet or exceed the following criteria:

Increases the public’s awareness of environmental issues and facilitates their role in the environmental planning, analysis, and review process;

Provides a clear message consistent with AEP’s objectives to enhance, protect and maintain the natural and human environments.

Emphasizes creative use of media (e.g.: Social Media).

Uses methodology or paradigm which has broad applicability and is replicable by other agencies, firms, and organizations.

Measures to demonstrate its effectiveness. such as level of participation, adoption of model ordinances, or descriptions of changes in behavior or benefits resulting from the program.

The LAX Northside Plan project that is proposed to encompass mixed-use space such as retail, hotel and office space, community/civic space, education/research/office space, open recreation space and a buffer. The property is north of Westchester Parkway, running from Pershing Drive in Playa del Rey to the east, at Sepulveda Boulevard in Westchester.

Other than Los Angeles Fire Station No. 5 on Emerson Avenue, a childcare center for airport employees and the Westchester Golf Course, the land under consideration for development is vacant.

LAX Northside Project Manager Lisa Trifiletti told community stakeholders attending the meeting that development is governed by the LAX Plan and the LAX Specific Plan, which established the zoning regulations and development standards. The Specific Plan requires that development comply with design and development standards written in the 1980s, and those standards haven’t received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval, don’t reflect current best-practice standards in sustainability and urban design, and don’t respond to current community and LAWA interests, nor to market conditions, she said.

Trifiletti said the goal is to get initial input from local residents to gather their comments on what they want and don’t want to see in the development so that the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) will accurately reflect their concerns and ideas for the project.

“What we don’t want is to present you with a DEIR that has predetermined projects. We want the community to tell us what is important to them,” said Trifiletti.

The update to the plan would substantially reduce the total amount of development that is allowed by the 1980s plan, with the original amount of 4.5 million square feet reduced to 2.5 million square feet, said Trifiletti. LAWA meetings and workshops have taken place for over a year, and the plan has been refined in several ways based on community input at those meetings.

One of those changes include increased privacy and security, with a buffer zone between the project uses and adjacent residences being increased from 50 to 100 feet. The buffer would be closed off to the public and secured with a fence.

Other changes include a reduction of height limits in Areas 1 and 2 – adjacent to Pershing Drive, Falmouth Avenue and 91st Street – to 45 feet and building heights in Areas 3 (adjacent to Loyola Boulevard), 11 and 12 (adjacent to Emerson Avenue and 88th Street in the eastern areas) to 60 feet.

No access from residential neighborhoods will be permitted, and access to the project would be limited to Westchester Parkway, Lincoln Boulevard, Loyola Boulevard and Falmouth Avenue. In addition, a location for a potential public transit station has been identified and included.

The vacation of Cum Laude Street is proposed to accommodate St. Bernard High School’s interest in expanding its existing sports field in Playa del Rey. Public pedestrian pathways will be limited to Westchester Parkway. Civic/community space and recreational uses have been increased, and could include soccer fields, a dog park and open space, said Trifiletti.

The proposed land use plan indicates where land uses could occur on the site. Trifiletti explained that the specific locations and orientation of the buildings and precise uses are not yet known and would depend on future market conditions. Regarding some residents’ concerns over the types of businesses or retail that would be allowed to develop, Trifiletti said officials would incorporate public input from the meetings.

One attendee asked about air and noise pollution from the development, and another inquired about what type of testing might be allowed if a research and development company was established. Trifiletti noted that the potential air and noise pollution, among other environmental concerns, would be dealt with in the DEIR, and said that no company dealing with toxic materials would be allowed to develop on the site. Otis College of Art and Design has expressed interest for some time about expanding its campus in the research and development area, she said.

FAA grants dictate how the land can be used today, said Trifiletti, and a fair market value has to be achieved. She cited an organization that wanted to set up a park and playing field on the property for a lease of $1 per year, and the FAA declined. The commercial usage on the site would basically pay for any open space used for recreational purposes, she added.

Architect Robert Hale, a principal with Rios Clementi Hale Studios, discussed some of the contemplated design elements at the meeting. He said outdoor cafe dining is being considered, as well as a pedestrian promenade. One attendee asked about the pedestrian promenade and suggested that a family-friendly bike path be included where small children could ride with their families and would be separate from Westchester Parkway’s regular bike path. Hale said he agreed that the regular bicycle riders on Westchester Parkway would continue to ride on the designated bike path.

Another component of the development is the stormwater project by the Los Angeles City Department of Public Works Bureau of Engineering. That project was proposed to be located near the intersection of Pershing Drive and Westchester Parkway at Falmouth Avenue, near Jet Pets. The original presentation was made in October 2008.

The project was intended to divert water from the existing storm drain system, provide water quality treatment and restore some of the hydrologic balance, via infiltration, that has been limited as a result of urbanization and increases in impervious areas (man-made surfaces that can’t be easily penetrated by water).

Work never began on the project because the Department of Public Works would have to pay just as the developers are required to pay to achieve a fair market value. Trifiletti said talks are ongoing regarding placing open space/recreation areas on top of the stormwater project (which would be underground) to determine a compensation amount.

“There are two separate public plans unfolding for LAX properties which LAWA has handled very differently. The northside development is a win-win where public participation was encouraged and the plan includes benefits for both the public, the city and the airport. That one is good and should be embraced,” said Denny Schneider, president of the Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion (ARSAC).

Schneider, referencing the LAX Specific Plan DEIR, which is expected to be released this month, said, “This other plan’s purpose is not to enact badly needed fixes and updates at LAX, but to expand LAX beyond reason. LAWA has continuously refused to release plan details and assumptions or even establish a set of quantifiable criteria for evaluation to be used in their DEIR.

“We expect that it includes onerous LAWA projects that will seriously hurt our surrounding communities and jeopardize the entire region. When released, I encourage all to treat that DEIR with the hostility and contempt that LAWA is demonstrating during its preparation,” he claimed.

Comments and questions on the project can be submitted by e-mail to laxnorthside@lawa.org, by calling (424) 646-5072, or writing to LAX Northside, 1 World Way, P.O. Box 92216, Los Angeles, CA 90009.

Information on the project, www.laxnorthside.org.

]]>http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/airport-officials-discuss-design-guidelines-for-lax-northside-plan/feed/0LAX Northside Plan to benefit Westchesterhttp://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/lax-northside-plan-to-benefit-westchester/
http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/lax-northside-plan-to-benefit-westchester/#respondSat, 17 Jun 2017 06:32:27 +0000http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/?p=305LOS ANGELES — The City Council approved a plan June 14 that lays out a blueprint for redeveloping a 340-acre plot north of Los Angeles International Airport as a commercial and office district in Westchester.

The council voted 12-0 to approve the LAX Northside Plan, which calls for restaurants, retail shops, recreation and open space, an office park and a three-mile walking path to the beach at Playa del Rey.

Councilman Mike Bonin said the plan was approved in conjunction with the Westchester area’s 75th anniversary.

“Westchester and Playa del Rey deserve a vibrant, thriving community and the Northside Plan will offer neighbors open space and recreation facilities to play in, restaurants and retail space to dine and shop in, and a campus-like office space to work in,” Bonin said.

“This plan puts neighborhoods first and is a shining example of our world-class airport acting like a first-class neighbor,” Bonin said. “I cannot think of a better gift as Westchester gets ready to celebrate the past 75 years and looks forward to the next 75.”

“The LAX Northside Plan shows what we can accomplish when we work together to build the future of our economy and preserve the unique character of L.A.’s neighborhoods,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “This plan will transform a vacant lot into a creative and economic hub that will help revitalize the neighborhood with new jobs, retail and green space.”

Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners Vice President Valeria Velasco, who represents Westchester on the board said, “Approval of this plan demonstrates definitively that [the airport] and its neighbors can work collaboratively to produce a result that benefits everyone.

“Economic development, community resources, and improved airport support areas will be excellent additions to our neighborhood, and we are all looking forward to seeing the work begin.”

Development guidelines for the plan include state-of-the-art sustainability measures, building designs requiring lower heights, a cluster near Westchester Parkway, meaningful buffers adjacent to residential properties, and access from Westchester Parkway rather than through neighborhoods to reduce cut-through traffic.

The plan also calls for transforming the current roadway into a multi-use “paseo” along Westchester Parkway that would enhance pedestrian and bicycle access between the Downtown Westchester Business District and the beach.

Specific projects will be considered later for the area covered under the newly approved plan, according to Bonin aide David Graham-Caso.

Bonin will work with Los Angeles World Airports, which operates LAX, and the mayor’s office on an “implementation plan” that will lay out what request for proposals will be issued, Graham-Caso said.

According to Bonin’s office, the plan improves on an “outdated” proposal from the 1980s that called for greater density. When Los Angeles World Airports first purchased the plots that make up the site during the 1970s and 1980s, the plan had been to construct tall buildings, with less open space.

The new plan sets aside 175,000 square feet for public use and 50 acres for park space, according to Bonin’s office.

]]>http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/lax-northside-plan-to-benefit-westchester/feed/0LAX Northside Plan Wins City Approvalhttp://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/lax-northside-plan-wins-city-approval/
http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/uncategorized/lax-northside-plan-wins-city-approval/#respondSat, 17 Jun 2017 06:25:17 +0000http://www.trifiletticonsulting.com/?p=303Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Councilmember Mike Bonin, airport officials, and community representatives on June 14, celebrated City Council approval of the LAX Northside Plan Update, a comprehensive planning blueprint for 340 acres of vacant property located between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and the Los Angeles communities of Westchester and Playa del Rey.

The LAX Northside Plan Update was created over several years of collaboration between community stakeholders and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the city department that owns and operates LAX and two other Southern California airports. The plan represents a unique opportunity to achieve significant economic investment in the area and provide needed community resources and benefits, as well as important airport support sites.

“The LAX Northside Plan shows what we can accomplish when we work together to build the future of our economy and preserve the unique character of L.A.’s neighborhoods,” said Garcetti. “This plan will transform a vacant lot into a creative and economic hub that will help revitalize the neighborhood with new jobs, retail and green space.”

“Westchester and Playa del Rey deserve a vibrant, thriving community and the Northside Plan will offer neighbors open space and recreation facilities to play in, restaurants and retail space to dine and shop in, and a campus-like office space to work in,” said Bonin, who represents LAX and nearby communities on the city council. “This plan puts neighborhoods first and is a shining example of our world-class airport acting like a first-class neighbor. I cannot think of a better gift as Westchester gets ready to celebrate the past 75 years and looks forward to the next 75.”

Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners Vice President Valeria Velasco, who represents Westchester and Playa del Rey on the Board said, “Approval of this plan demonstrates definitively that LAWA and its neighbors can work collaboratively to produce a result that benefits everyone. Economic development, community resources, and improved airport support areas will be excellent additions to our neighborhood, and we are all looking forward to seeing the work begin.”

“Los Angeles World Airports can now move forward with implementing the plan that will result in new projects and new neighborhood gathering places due to all the hard work by the community and LAWA staff over the past several years,” said LAWA Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint.

The LAX Northside Plan is a comprehensive update of an outdated, overly dense land-use plan initially conceived in the 1980s. The LAX Northside Plan Update has been crafted with the help of surrounding neighborhoods to produce a vibrant and sustainable center of employment, retail, restaurant, office, hotel, research and development, education, civic, airport support, recreation, and airport-buffer uses that support the needs of communities surrounding LAX.

LAWA acquired the land with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants in the 1970s and 1980s to provide a buffer between LAX and adjacent communities. The old plan would have permitted 4.5 million square feet of development with tall buildings, minimal open space, outdated design and environmental standards, and little accommodation for civic uses. The LAX Northside Plan Update approved today significantly reduces allowable density and associated traffic, while providing a planning framework that more effectively weaves the space into the fabric of the neighborhood. The approved Plan envisions 175,000 square feet of community and civic uses, and nearly 50 acres of new recreation and open space.

The Northside property is ideally located for a natural expansion of the “Silicon Beach” high-technology creative hub, and is also adjacent to several educational institutions interested in new facilities. Opportunities for local non-profit organizations to locate recreational sites on the property emerged from the planning process and will be a community benefit.

Development guidelines for the updated plan include: state-of-the-art sustainability measures, building design requiring lower heights, cluster near Westchester Parkway, meaningful buffers adjacent to residential properties, and access from Westchester Parkway rather than through neighborhoods to reduce cut-through traffic. The plan also calls for transforming the current roadway into a multi-use “paseo” along Westchester Parkway that would enhance pedestrian and bicycle access between the Downtown Westchester Business District and the beach.

The LAX Northside Plan Update is already catalyzing new investment in the area. LAWA and the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation are currently working together to construct a state-of-the-art, underground water reclamation facility on the western portion of the property. This facility will help the City and LAWA meet new state and federal water-quality standards for urban runoff and provide green space for recreation at ground level. This collaboration is the first of its kind for City agencies, and serves as a model for both sustainability projects and inter-departmental cooperation.

As part of the LAX Northside Plan Update planning process, LAWA staff headed by Deputy Executive Director for Environmental and Land Use Planning Lisa Trifiletti conducted more than 50 group and individual meetings — a collaboration between local and regional stakeholders and LAX that resulted in a plan reflecting community priorities and LAWA’s needs. This level of stakeholder engagement was a factor in the Northside Plan Update receiving the 2015 Award of Excellence in Neighborhood Planning from the American Planning Association-Los Angeles Section and the 2015 Outstanding Public Involvement/Education Program Award from the Association of Environmental Professionals.

“LAWA did an exceptional job reaching out to the community and making sure this plan reflected the dreams of neighbors in Westchester and Playa del Rey,” said Bonin. “I am tremendously grateful for the hard work that went into making this plan truly community-serving.”

LAWA will soon finalize a strategy to fully implement the plan, which is expected to represent a significant economic investment at full build-out, generate hundreds of construction and thousands of permanent jobs, enhance the existing Downtown Westchester Business District, and create a new hub for office tenants.

The LAX Northside Plan Update has been reviewed and approved by the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners, the City Planning Commission, the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee, the City Council, and the Los Angeles County Airport Land Use Commission. It will also be reviewed by the FAA, as needed in the future.

Further information on the LAX Northside Plan Update can be found at www.LAWA.org/GDZ/Index.aspx.